Exploring Career Pathways

Presented by: Patty Dang, M.S.Career Development Services Counselor

Learning Outcomes

Recall the key elements of the first two stages of career development process.

Identify two resources to conduct career research.

Reflect your understanding of exploring career pathways.

Today’s Agenda

Career Development Process – Slide 4

Stage 1 Self-Discovery – Slides 5-10

Stage 2 Career Research – Slides 11-12

Understanding Pathways – Slides 13-17

Self-Reflection Activity – Slide 18

Career Development Process

Self-Discovery

Career Research

Design Your

Career Plan

Experience Your Field

Launch Your

Career

Super’s Life Span, Life Space Developmental Theory (1972)

Stage 1: Self Discovery/Exploration

In this stage, you will ask yourself these questions:

“Who Am I?” You might find that you are interested and capable of

more than one career. Make sure to align your strengths and unique talents to the “BEST” career option when making your new discoveries.

“What is most important to me in the world of work?”

The most common reasons for workplace unhappiness or a change in careers is a lack of fit between a person’s personality and values with the environment of their chosen career

Step-by-Step Career Assessment Instructions (PDF, 148.3KB)

Stage 1: Self Discovery/Exploration cont…In this stage, you will ask yourself these questions:“How do my personality, values, interest, skills, match my career interests?” Finding out early if your personality, values, skills, and

interests conflicts with or aligns with your career interests can save you a significant amount of time and money.

“What is valuable to me in a career and work environment?” There is no right or wrong, recognizing what is

important can help you decide what career interests fit you best.

Self-Discovery/ExplorationCareer Assessments Inventory your personality, values, skills and

interests What do I like to do vs. what I’m good at You can't take an assessment that will, as if by

magic, tell you what to do for the rest of your life.

You can however use a combination of self-assessment tools that can assist you in your career decision-making process.

3 Career Assessments provided by CDS are: Eureka, Career Cruising, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Instructions to access assessments.

Self-Discovery/Exploration

Road Trip Nation Storywatch clip from only 1:37-4:34

Complete Guide for this section after watching the video clip

Ask yourself when thinking about potential careers… Why am I interested in this occupation? Why is it important? How long do I see myself in this career? What does that look like?Finding a career is very self-reflective, yet most people seek the advice of others before asking themselves. Instead of asking “what should I major in?” or “what can I do with this major. You should be asking yourself why? It is common practice for us to research a product we may only use a few times, and we may even visit the store several times before purchasing. Yet, we forget to visualize what our potential career will look like for the next 5/10/25 years?

Self-Discovery/Exploration

Self-Reflection ActivityWhat do you love to do?What careers do you see yourself

in?Will Someone pay me to do this?

Self-Discovery/Exploration

How much do you know about careers?Research options: Internet – If you have more questions after your web search than when

you started, that is a good thing. Finding answers isn’t the solution, asking the right questions helps you recognize what’s important.

Review Current Positions - Review job requirements and descriptions requested in current positions. Even doctors specialize in different fields. Each organization has different missions and goals, therefore the demands of the position can change from organization to organization.

Informational Interviews – Asking questions in an interview format to professionals currently holding positions that relate to your career interest can help you recognize actual career pathways. Article on Informational Interviews

(CDS Research Resources)

Career Research

Important things to know.. Knowledge, skills, or education needed Duties and responsibilities of the position Working conditions, e.g., hours, physical

demands of job, physical environment, level of stress

Salary range or compensation for work Opportunities for advancement Related occupations Future job outlook Benefits e.g., insurance, vacation days

Career Research

Understanding PathwaysWe follow a career pathway because, we think: Future can be predicted based on the past with reasonable

certainty We make decisions based on intended results What do I need to know and need to do? There are established tools that can guarantee results Degree = automatic careerThis information has been told to us by many; parents, teachers, society. If you study really hard and focus your energy on something you will always do well. We hope that same formula will also exist with finding a career. If we study engineering we can become an engineer. We think following a checklist will help, and a degree equals a career. Think back to Road-trip Nation video clip. How will you define your path?

Understanding PathwaysCareer pathways are created: Future is highly uncertain and past is not predictive of

future There is limited information and data Most people experience different pathways and obtain

similar careers Should be asking: What do I want to know and want to do?Although, there are no exact formulas or steps to follow there are objectives and goals we can accomplish to guide us in the career direction we are seeking.Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.  –Robert Frost

If you have a LinkedIn Account, log-in and visit www.linkedin.com/alumni Choose a category under “what they studied” You will see although all of these Alumni studied the same major, their careers and paths did not come to the same job or even industry.

If you don’t have a LinkedIn Account, review the following information on Alumni Tool

LinkedIn Alumni Tool

Examples

Alumni #1 BA Psychology n/a RecruiterHR

Representative

Alumni #2 BA Psychology MS School Psychology

Editorial Assistant Writer

Alumni # 3 BA Psychology MS Social Work

Marketing Manager

Psychologist BA PsychologyMS Clinical

Psychology or MFT

Psychologist

Examples

Patty BA Cinema M.S. Counseling

Administrative Assistant

Career Counselor

Amanda BA Liberal Arts

M.S Counseling Waitress

Coordinator of Career

Development Services

Cindy BA Psychology

MS Public Policy

Director of Career

Services

School & Career

Counselors

N/A Masters Career Counselor

Understanding Career Success There is no innovation without trial and error. Fail early

and often. A transcript is less valuable to employers than proof of

skills. Listen for opportunities instead of looking for jobs

Tony Wagner, Innovation Education Fellow at the Technology & Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard

We are all writing the story of our own life. It’s not a story of conquest. It’s a story of discovery, Through trial and error, we learn what gifts we have to offer the world and are pushed to greater recognition about what we really need. The Big Bold Leap turns out to be only the first step.

Po Bronson, Author & Stanford Graduate

A major or degree does not define your career potential. The downside? Formulas don’t always work and there is no specific structure to follow for guaranteed results. Some find success through goal setting and long-term plans, while another could drop out of college and become the most innovative CEO of the 21st century. See Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech.

Final Self-Reflection Activity (complete guide) Decision Making

List up to 3 potential career interests Who could you talk to?

Experiential Learning What internships could you apply for? What are you going to do next/first?

Writing ideas and plans in written form is an important apect of career goal setting. If you don’t write it down, it is less likely to happen. Taking notes is not a habit you should only be practicing in the classroom. Writing down notes and ideas of things you learned, skills you are interested in learning more about and any other information you may want to remember to research later. Even the most successful professionals take notes (If You Aren't Taking Notes, You Aren't Learning Article)

Take Notes

Resources to help you …

Career Development Services can support you in career exploration, planning and preparation!

Career Development Services Website Facebook: go.csuci.edu/cdsFB

Twitter: go.csuci.edu/cdstweet Linkedin: go.csuci.edu/linkedingroup

Questions?Visit us during Drop-in Career Counseling

Amanda Carpenter, Ed.D.Assistant Director of Career Development Services & Henry L. "Hank" Lacayo Institute Internship ProgramCalifornia State University Channel Islands Bell Tower 1527(805) 437-3565 (office)amanda.carpenter@csuci.edu  Career Development CenterCalifornia State University Channel Islands Bell Tower 1548(805) 437-3270 (office)(805) 437-8899 (fax)career.services@csuci.edu

Patty Dang, M.SCareer Development Services CounselorCalifornia State University Channel Islands Bell Tower 1521(805) 437-3544 (office)patty.dang@csuci.edu

Schedule & Availability can be found on our CDS Website

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